This invention relates to a machine for forming cylindrical bales of crop.
Machines, towed by a tractor, for forming large cylindrical bales of hay (so called "round" balers) are well known. As the machine advances, the crop is removed from a windrow by a pick-up mechanism and delivered rearwardly to the inlet of a baling chamber where it is rolled into a bale between sets of oppositely moving belts, the growing bale rotating about a horizontal axis and the baling chamber expanding with the bale. The belts are trained over rolls which extend laterally of the machine and most of which are journalled at either end in the sides of the machine. One of the rolls is directly driven and the belts and other rolls are thus driven thereby.
The configuration of the rolls and belts is such that crop is fed into the chamber between belts, trained over a roll at the inlet, and the growing bale. Under certain conditions, plugging may tend to occur at the inlet when the bale has become large because the crop fails to be drawn into the chamber quick enough through the nip between these belts and the bale.